Rescuers walk on a damaged cliff road to search for victims and survivors in Sichuan’s Jiuzhaigou Valley after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake. The death toll has risen to 24. (Photo courtesy: AFP)

(TibetanReview.net, Aug13, 2017) – The death toll from the 7-manitude (6.5 magnitude according to the US Geological Survey) which struck a remote Tibetan area in what is now part of China’s Sichuan Province on Aug 8 has risen to 24, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency Aug 12. Five people were still missing as of 9 pm Aug 11.

There is still no report on the identity of the dead, apart from the previous statements which said they included eight tourists and two locals.

The total number of the injured was also reported to have risen to 493, including 45 in serious condition.

More than 61,500 tourists and migrant workers, including 126 non-Chinese foreigners, were evacuated following the quake, which had struck Jiuzhaigou County of Aba Province, Sichuan Province.

The report also said that 23,477 local residents had been evacuated to safety.

Jiuzhaigou (Tibetan: Zitsa Degu, or Valley of Nine Villages) is a popular tourist destination in the mountains on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau.